Chapter 32 - 2#

Even if one thoroughly understood the rules now, they wouldn’t become a card god once they entered the game later.

A faint glint of darkness flickered deep in Chi Gui’s pupils, and only then did he say to Jing Shun, “It’s fine, I’ll teach you something simple. For now, just accompany me to the event and watch.”

“Okay.”

…

Ji Tianheng had personally set up the poker table session, so everyone was naturally willing to honor their host.

By the time Chi Gui and Jing Shun arrived, quite a few guests had already gathered in the hall.

The crowd was scattered around various tables, each with a stack of round chips piled in front of them. The dealers at each table were impeccably dressed, their fingers deftly shuffling, spreading, and distributing the cards in a seamless series of motions.

Amid the swaying glint of wine, a true atmosphere of extravagant indulgence unfolded.

Business revolved around good omens.

Even out at sea, the placement and seating of poker tables followed certain feng shui principles. Ji Tianheng sat at the central head seat, with Qin Ye on his left. The two already seemed to be playing.

When he spotted Chi Gui and Jing Shun, Ji Tianheng immediately set his cards down. “Mr. Chi, Mr. Jing, you’ve arrived.”

Chi Gui gave a slight nod, acknowledging the greeting.

Jing Shun met Ji Tianheng’s sweeping gaze and responded with a smile. “Hello, Second Young Master. I’m here to join in the fun.”

Before his words faded, an out-of-place, mocking remark rang out. “The fun at this poker table—I doubt you can keep up.”

“…”

The sarcastic words carried over.

Jing Shun and the others’ expressions shifted in unison as they turned to look—

Zhang Aode strode in boisterously with his companion. A glass of whiskey was cupped in his hand, and his face was flushed with obvious intoxication.

As he drew closer, the strong smell of alcohol wafted over.

Qin Ye, seated at the table, showed a trace of disgust. He got up and moved away. “Director Zhang, how much have you had to drink? It’s broad daylight, yet you speak so rudely to people.”

His implication was that Zhang Aode had been too offensive toward Jing Shun. Even out of respect for Chi Gui, the people around him deserved more consideration.

Zhang Aode dismissed it. “Rudeness?”

He had already sent his assistant to investigate Jing Shun’s background—

A third-rate actor from the mainland, with no notable works to speak of.

In his eyes, someone like that was no better than a lowly performer from earlier times, and now he’d just latched onto Chi Gui’s high status. Did he really think he could rise from the branches and turn into a phoenix?

The loss at the auction yesterday had left Zhang Aode feeling displeased.

Now, pretending to be emboldened by alcohol, he vented his nastiness freely. “Do I need to be polite to some actor?”

A never-before-seen brutality flickered in Chi Gui’s eyes. Ji Tianheng, the closest to him, acted swiftly to block him. “Mr. Chi! Chi Gui, consider it a favor to me!”

If a fight actually broke out in front of everyone, there would be no way to smooth things over.

“Uncle Zhang! You’re drunk! Let me have the attendants and Ms. Zheng take you back to your cabin to rest.”

“Drunk? I’m not done having fun yet!”

“…”

Jing Shun also sensed the darkening aura around the man beside him. Feeling countless eyes on them, he gently tugged at Chi Gui’s little finger.

“Chi Gui, I can handle this myself.”

Wasn’t it just a war of words? Jing Shun had heard no fewer than a thousand online criticisms and insults.

Zhang Aode’s level of mockery only served to drag down his own character and status in public.

Jing Shun shot Chi Gui a calm and composed gaze. He casually picked up a glass of water from the table and slid his wheelchair closer to Zhang Aode.

He called out, “Director Zhang.”

Zhang Aode glanced down, as if snorting through his nose. Even the companion clinging to him exuded a sense of superiority.

The next second, Jing Shun splashed the glass of water at him.

Chi Gui’s status and position meant he was entangled with too many interests; there were things inconvenient for him to do. That didn’t mean Jing Shun himself couldn’t fight back.

—Splash!

The glass of water landed squarely between Zhang Aode and his mistress—not a miss, but a warning.

Yet the cascading water still splashed onto the two of them.

“Ah!”

Zheng Ying immediately pushed Zhang Aode away, concerned only for her satin evening gown, now stained by the water. “What—what do you think you’re doing!”

“…”

Zhang Aode froze, seemingly unable to believe what had just happened.

Countless onlookers stared in shock, never expecting Jing Shun to dare lay a hand on Zhang Aode.

Jing Shun slammed the empty glass back onto the table. “Director Zhang seems quite drunk. I’m just helping you sober up.”

Zheng Ying, belatedly putting on a show of tenderness, wiped Zhang Aode’s face with a silk handkerchief while preemptively accusing, “Sir, you have absolutely no manners!”

“Manners? Calling me an ‘actor’ to my face, treating me as someone without dignity, an accessory to others—is that the proper etiquette of your Ao Gang aristocracy?”

It wasn’t just Zhang Aode, but also the other onlookers and those secretly gossiping among themselves—

All dressed up in grand appearances, yet unable to hide the vulgarity and baseness within!

Some relied on their inherited family wealth to judge and gossip as if they were superior, without any real ability themselves. Was that right?

“If I’m a lowly actor undeserving of the stage, then what does Director Zhang count as? A gambler?” Jing Shun paused, then turned to Zheng Ying. “And you? What do you count as?”

Zheng Ying was Zhang Aode’s mistress—no secret in Ao Gang or the mainland.

She usually held herself in high regard and never felt ashamed of it, but Jing Shun’s sudden rhetorical question made her feel a subtle loss of face.

“…”

Ji Tianheng and Qin Ye exchanged a covert glance, somewhat surprised.

They had originally thought Jing Shun was a beautiful canary, needing to be carefully kept by Chi Gui’s side. They never expected he would be the type to not back down and fight back.

Jing Shun’s critique just now was spot-on—their own assumptions had been narrow-minded.

Zhang Aode snatched the handkerchief from his mistress, roughly wiping the water off his face.

He instinctively raised a hand toward Jing Shun. “You dare throw water at me? You…”

Jing Shun caught his intent and swiftly retreated.

At the same time, Chi Gui moved in with perfect coordination, accurately seizing Zhang Aode’s wrist and twisting it backward with a cold expression. “Director Zhang, I told you—”

Zhang Aode’s face contorted in pain, the drunkenness fading somewhat.

Chi Gui flung the dirty hand away. “Jing Shun is my partner. Show some respect!”

“Ah!”

Zhang Aode stumbled back a couple of steps.

Zheng Ying hurried to support him.

Chi Gui didn’t even spare them a glance. Instead, he bent down to check on Jing Shun. “Are you okay?”

Jing Shun gave a slight smile. “I’m fine.”

Ji Tianheng, playing the host, seized the moment and deliberately stepped in only now. “Misunderstanding, misunderstanding. Let’s all make peace and prosper.”

As he passed Chi Gui, the two exchanged a quick look.

Ji Tianheng quickly approached Zhang Aode and helped him to a seat at the poker table. “Uncle Zhang, I set up this session today just so you could enjoy yourself. With so many people here, you have to do me a favor—don’t undermine me in public.”

Knowing Zhang Aode’s temperament well, he signaled the attendant to pour more wine.

Ji Tianheng deliberately lowered his voice a bit, flattering Zhang Aode in the local dialect. “Uncle, I heard you’ve had good luck today—your winnings have multiplied several times over. Everyone combined can’t beat you.”

“Wouldn’t it be better for us all to sit down peacefully and welcome good fortune? Anger easily scatters wealth.”

“…”

Zhang Aode was superstitious about such things. He gave a cold snort.

After coaxing him, Ji Tianheng turned to Chi Gui across the table. “Mr. Chi, do me a favor and sit down. Around here, the poker table is the best place to make friends.”

Chi Gui glanced at Zhang Aode, who had already taken his seat, but didn’t respond.

Zhang Aode shook his still-aching wrist, still holding a grudge.

He thought he should teach Chi Gui and Jing Shun a lesson—those two from Hǎishì had no idea how high the sky was. Did they really think they could twist things in Ao Gang’s territory?

Even if the Li family, the top of the Four Great Families, sent someone today, they’d still have to show him some respect!

With so many people watching now, a physical altercation would be undignified and wouldn’t do Ji Tianheng’s face any favors. It would also reflect poorly in gossip.

Zhang Aode’s gaze settled firmly on the poker table, a thought forming.

“Mr. Chi, how about we play three rounds?”

“…”

At these words, Jing Shun’s eyes flickered briefly.

Zhang Aode was a shrewd judge of character. He immediately noticed that Jing Shun seemed unfamiliar with card games, so he changed his demand cunningly. “To be precise, let your little companion play against me. You can sit on the sidelines and assist.”

Jing Shun saw through Zhang Aode’s intention to make things difficult and could only cast a “help-seeking” look at Chi Gui.

Zhang Aode, confident of victory, said, “What? You had a sharp tongue earlier, but now you don’t dare? How about this—if you win, I’ll admit I was wrong and apologize publicly.”

Chi Gui narrowed his eyes slightly and responded to Zhang Aode. “Director Zhang, how would you like to play?”

Zhang Aode, thinking the fish had taken the bait, grew even more self-assured. “Simple. Three rounds of blackjack, no banker or player. Stakes are up to you, and whoever loses gives a public apology. What do you say?”

Blackjack—indeed, the most common card game.

One deck, minus the jokers. Cards 2 through 10 are number cards. J, Q, K are face cards, each counting as 10. An Ace can count as 1 or 11, depending on the player’s choice.

Each player starts with two cards and can decide whether to draw more, aiming to get their hand as close to 21 as possible. Whoever is closer wins. Conversely, if the hand total exceeds 21, you bust.

Chi Gui’s brow lifted almost imperceptibly. “Alright.”

Jing Shun, however, showed some reluctance and called out softly, “Chi Gui.”

Chi Gui met his eyes. “It’s fine. Consider it joining the fun.”

With that, he bent down slightly and, in front of everyone, lifted Jing Shun out of the wheelchair.

Jing Shun’s breath caught. Before he could blink, Chi Gui had seated him in a chair on the other side.

“You…”

“The wheelchair’s too low—you can’t see the whole table. This chair is wide enough; we can squeeze together.”

Chi Gui’s right arm curved around Jing Shun’s back, half-encircling him in a cozy, intimate embrace that was hard to describe.

Feeling the breath of the person beside him, Jing Shun’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.

He glanced at Zhang Aode, clearly an experienced player across the table, and still felt troubled. “…I don’t know how.”

Chi Gui’s hand, loosely resting on Jing Shun’s waist, moved slightly. “It’s okay, I’ll teach you.”

“…”

Jing Shun met the faint glint in his eyes and felt a subtle understanding.

After a moment of silence, he reluctantly nodded. “…Alright.”

On the opposite side, Zhang Aode, seeing the fish had taken the bait, gave a smug laugh. “Director Chi, once you’re at the poker table, there’s no turning back. Don’t regret it.”

Chi Gui didn’t care at all. He only pressed slightly closer to the person in his arms, almost imperceptibly.

“I’ll return those words to you, Director Zhang.”